


Never Forget

by stilinski_wolf



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Pre-Slash, Sometime in Stiles' senior year, Stiles and Derek have a moment, angst & fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-30
Updated: 2016-07-30
Packaged: 2018-07-27 16:04:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7625017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stilinski_wolf/pseuds/stilinski_wolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles is having a pretty good day when he gets a text from his dad, thus ending any good part of his day. Because he forgot - Stiles forgot it was the anniversary of his mother's death. How could he forget?</p><p>Stiles is awash in guilt and sadness as he heads to her grave to apologize - and runs into Derek there as well, and Derek is able to make Stiles feel just a little bit better about forgetting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Forget

Stiles waved to Scott as he headed towards his jeep, hiking his backpack up onto his shoulder. 

All in all, the day had been good to him. He had aced his chemistry test, he’d finished all his homework on time, his head was clear, he wasn’t feeling tired or run-down, he’d had a good lunch, with all his friends surrounding him, and although he’d missed his dad that morning before heading out, there’d had been a sad, but very much appreciated, attempt at breakfast made for him waiting on the counter. 

It had made him pause, because his dad never made him breakfast because he knew Stiles was fully capable of making it himself, but he guessed his dad must have been in a good mood that day as well, and had been feeling generous.

Stiles didn’t think too much about it because neither of them had many good days these days. 

Stiles was even whistling - that’s right, whistling - as he got into his Jeep and put the keys in the ignition. 

He was on his way home, singing along to the radio when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. It made him jump, startling him enough that he flailed wildly and had to hastily take hold of the steering wheel again before he swerved off the side of the road.

Then he fished his phone out of his pocket and saw that he had a text from his dad - and he rarely texted.

Then he opened it.

 _Don’t forget to stop by your mother’s grave today. I’ve already gone and left her some flowers, so don’t worry about that. See you tonight, son. Love you, Dad._

Stiles was immediately filled with horror as he remembered what today was.

It was the anniversary of his mother’s death today. On this day it had been nine years exactly since her death.

And Stiles had completely forgotten. 

Stiles immediately felt it become harder to breathe, felt his hands shake as he slowly took them off the steering wheel. “No no no. Not now. Not now!” Stiles said loudly before he lost the ability to speak properly as his breathing started to quicken even further.

The panic attack couldn’t be stopped. And the seatbelt was digging into his chest, making it harder to breath. Stiles fumbled with the seat belt, yelled out in frustration when it took him longer to unbuckle it then usual because of his shaking hands. 

When he finally succeeded, he spilled out of his jeep and ran around it so he was off the road as he bent at the knees, trying to breathe normally and failing. He fell onto his hands and knees and waited it out, felt his head spinning.

He’d forgotten that it was the day his mother had died. He’d fucking forgotten like a fucking asshole, like an idiot. How could he have forgotten?

Had he just been having too good of a day?

Well, he wasn’t anymore. And he felt guilty for having been in a good mood until then anyway. He felt horrible for being happy on the day his mother died and not even realizing it was the day she had died. 

He was a horrible son.

He wished he could use the excuse that he’d forgotten because of all the shit that goes on in this town, all the shit he’s been through, but that was bullshit. He had remembered it perfectly well last year and he’d been right in the middle of the shit storm that was Beacon Hills. 

He guessed it had been pretty calm lately, so he couldn’t really use that as an excuse.

Really, he had no excuse.

He calmed down a little while later and, ashamed of himself, he stood up and walked back around to the car door, shakily stepping up onto his seat.

Taking a deep breath and wiping at his eyes, Stiles started the car and drove into the heart of the town where all the shops were and parked before getting out and walking to the flower shop.

His dad had told him not to bother, but there was no way Stiles couldn’t get flowers. Especially after forgetting.

Once he got them he set them carefully in the passenger seat and drove to the graveyard. 

Feeling the lump in his throat get bigger as he got out of the car and walked toward the many graves, Stiles tried to breath normally, gripping the flowers tighter as he walked past grave and after grave until he got to his mother's. He had the location of her grave memorized by now. At least he hadn’t forgotten that.

Stiles felt a new wave of guilt and self-loathing wash through him as he sat slowly in front of the gravestone, flowers clutched in his right hand.

Tears swam in his eyes, and he didn’t even try to hold them back as he sat his small bouquet of flowers next to his father’s larger one. 

He and his father hadn’t been to the grave at the same time in years. Stiles had gotten older, had become more independent, and his father longed for time alone with his mom. 

Stiles understood. 

It was a silent agreement they had. Even if the day didn’t fall on a day Stiles had school, they would still go at separate times in the day to be alone with her. 

Then they would be together at night when they needed each other most, not talking about her - because it was just too painful - but being the silent comfort they needed in each other. 

Letting out a shaky breath, Stiles spoke through his tears. “I know you’re probably angry at me,” Stiles started, playing with his fingers in his lap as he stared at the gravestone. “I’m certainly angry at me. I was so fucking stupid. And I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, mom. I’m sorry I forgot what today was, that I didn’t even think about you until dad told me. I’m sorry for having a good day instead of thinking of you and what you meant to me, and how much I miss you. And I do. I miss you so much.” Stiles’ lips trembled as tears poured down his face. 

“I think she would have wanted you to have a good day,” a voice sounded from behind him all of the sudden.

Jumping up and turning around, Stiles saw Derek standing there, a solemn look on his face, his hand in the pockets of his dark blue jeans, black leather jacket on with a dark red shirt underneath. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” Stiles said loudly, furiously wiping away his tears as he looked away from Derek to hide his face. 

“I was just…seeing family,” Derek said with a shrug. “I didn’t know you’d be here, I swear.” Derek held up placating hands when Stiles finally looked back at him with a glare. 

“I thought your family was buried at the Hale house,” Stiles murmured, dropping the glare as he crossed his arms over his chest defensively. He could just imagine how his face looked, all red and splotchy and tear streaked. And Derek Hale was the last person Stiles would want to see him like this.

“No, just Laura is. Was,” Derek corrected, shifting uncomfortably. Oh, right. Both halves - and Stiles winced as he remembered - of her had been moved and buried in the graveyard after everything had been cleared up. “She’s over with the rest of the family now.” Derek jerked his head over his shoulder, and Stiles looked in that general direction. He remembered the report saying eight of them died in the fire, and with Laura, that made nine total. That meant that there were nine gravestones lined up, all with the last name ‘Hale’ with their deaths having come too early in their lifetime. 

Stiles couldn’t even imagine. 

“I’m sorry,” Stiles murmured, sniffing.

“For what?” Derek furrowed his brow in confusion.

Stiles shrugged. “For being rude before, for digging up Laura’s body and accusing you of being a murderer. For…a lot of things, I guess." 

Derek looked at Stiles for a long moment, before nodding in acceptance of his apology. Stiles would take it.

"But I understand,” Derek said all of a sudden. And at Stiles’ confused look, “Why you snapped before. Believe me, I get it. You don’t have to apologize for that. And I shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that. I just saw you and thought…” Derek trailed off before shrugging uncomfortably. “I don’t know what I thought.”

“It’s okay,” Stiles said in a soft voice. “I probably would have done the same if it had been the other way around." 

Derek nodded, a small smile on his face that Stiles returned tentatively. 

"I’m sorry that I overheard what you were saying, but you said you forgot something?” Derek prompted softly. 

Stiles looked down in shame, sighing. “I forgot it was the anniversary of her death. I didn’t remember until my dad texted me about it,” Stiles shook his head, looking up at Derek and scoffing. “Pretty horrible, right? I woke up and my dad made me breakfast - which he never does - and I just thought he was being nice. Didn’t give a thought to why he did it. I was happy, with not a thought of my mom at all. I’m the worst son,” Stiles said, sniffing as more tears slipped out. 

“Stiles, no you’re not,” Derek said, taking a couple steps towards Stiles and stopping before he could stand directly in front of Stiles. “It’s okay. And your mom would have wanted you to be happy, no matter what.”

“How could you know that? You didn’t know her,” Stiles said, looking up at Derek through narrowed eyes.

“True,” Derek said with a nod. “But I did meet her once, and she seemed like a wonderful woman. A woman who loved her husband and son with everything she had.”

Stiles’ eyes widened. “You met her? When?”

Derek shrugged. “About ten years ago, I think? I was in the drug store getting…stuff.” Derek looked uncomfortable, and Stiles found himself smiling as he knew perfectly well what Derek had been buying.

“Condoms?” Stiles guessed with a small smirk.

Clearing his throat, Derek gave Stiles a look. “Maybe.” Stiles chuckled. “Anyway,” Derek continued with a playful glare. “I was in there, and in came you and your parents, and I think your dad was wearing his uniform. And I was over by the…stuff, and you got away from them and wandered over-”

“Wait, really?” Stiles said, surprised. “We met before everything happened?”

Derek nodded. “Yeah, you stopped next to me and asked me what I was doing, and I said I was shopping and you rolled your eyes, as you’re prone to do, and said 'duh, we’re all shopping here. But for what?’ and I got embarrassed and made up some bullshit about candy, and you immediately reached up and grabbed a box of condoms and exclaimed, 'candy!’" 

Stiles was laughing easily by now, red in the race with different types of tears running down his cheeks. "Oh my god, seriously? Oh, that is awesome,” Stiles laughed. “You remember that far back?”

“Yeah.” Derek nodded. “I was sixteen, you know.”

So he hadn’t been much younger than Stiles is now. It was weird to think about any of the stuff that had happened to Derek at that age happening to him. And Stiles wondered to himself who he’d been getting the condoms to do it with, as everything with Paige had already happened and everything with Kate hadn’t happened yet. 

But it was none of Stiles’ business, he had to remind himself.

“Nothing ended up happening anyway,” Derek muttered, and Stiles felt himself relaxing at that, and had no idea why he’d been tense. “But anyway, I reached for you to the condoms out of your hands, you laughed and ran away, and I chased after you, and by the time we got to your parents, you’d opened up the condom box and got one out.”

Tears, there were actual tears of laughter running down Stiles’ face, so much that he missed the smile that lit up Derek’s face at Stiles’ laughter. 

“I was, of course, mortified, but your mother just laughed and took the condom out of your hand while you exclaimed, 'but I want the candy!’ while your dad looked almost as embarrassed as I was. Your mom just told you it wasn’t candy, and that they’d get you something up at the counter. You then turned to me and shouted, 'you liar! How dare you!’ and shoved me before running off again,” Derek shrugged as Stiles’ laughter escalated. “You were a cute six year old, though.”

Stiles looked at Derek through his tears, his laughter dying down. Wiping at his face, Stiles sobered up before looking up at Derek. “I’m sure you were as good looking back then as you are today,” Stiles blurted in an attempt to even the playing field.

He immediately blushed as Derek’s eyebrow rose as he smirked. 

“Anyway, I saw the way she was with you, with your father. She loved you guys, and you loved her. I could see it. And I know that when someone loves you, they want you to be happy. She would want you to be happy, even on this day, I think,” Derek murmured.

Stiles looked over at her gravestone, letting out a shaky breath before he turned back to Derek, who was standing there, a soft, kind look on his face.

Moving on impulse, Stiles strode forward and wrapped Derek up in his arms. He felt Derek freeze in surprise before he slowly wrapped his arms around Stiles in return after a long moment. 

“Thank you,” Stiles whispered from where he had his head buried in Derek’s neck. “For making me feel better, and for making me laugh.”

“No problem,” Derek murmured, giving Stiles a light squeeze before pulling him in tighter, and Stiles felt a sense of comfort and calm as he wrapped his arms tighter around Derek as well. He’d never thought Derek Hale would ever bring him comfort, would ever make him laugh, but here they were.

After a couple of minutes of silence except for the wind rustling the leaves on the trees, Stiles slowly pulled back until he was looking into Derek’s eyes, their faces only an inch apart. 

Confused, flustered, unsure, Stiles found himself looking at Derek’s lips. Suddenly, the air was charged with tension. Sexual tension, maybe? Stiles couldn’t place it. But it scared him, how much he wanted to kiss Derek in that moment, in the middle of a graveyard.

“I…” Stiles trailed off, looking up back into Derek’s eyes, which had darkened and intensified. Clearing his throat, Stiles stepped out of Derek’s arms. This was neither the time or the place to do what Stiles wanted to do. And he’d just discovered he wanted to do it. It would be stupid to act on it, especially at this place, on this day. 

Stiles really was stupid.

Letting out a shaky breath, Stiles tried to look away from Derek’s eyes and failed. “I should go.”

Derek nodded slightly. “I should, too.”

“But thank you, again. For cheering me up,” Stiles said, stilted and awkward as he took a few steps back from Derek and temptation. 

“Really, it was nothing, Stiles. Don’t worry about it.” Derek himself took a few steps back as if he was fighting temptation as well.

But they couldn’t kiss in a graveyard on the anniversary of his mother’s death. That was just messed up and wrong and Stiles would rather deal with whatever the hell he was feeling on a different day, at a different place. 

Just because Stiles and Derek’s lives had been filled with death, that didn’t mean they had to deal with their feelings surrounded by it as well.

So he steeled himself, said a quick goodbye and turned on his heel, getting the hell out of dodge as quick as possible. 

Stiles forced himself to forget about Derek for the rest of the day and only thought of his mother, and his dad, and spending time with him.

But he let himself freak out over his new found attraction for Derek Hale the minute he was safe in his bed and the clock struck twelve midnight.


End file.
